Do you have fresh breadsticks?
'Grissini' — stress on 'gris-SÌ-ni'. Three syllables. Double 's'.
Ask in Turin and Piedmontese bakeries where freshly made grissini are a local specialty. Fresh grissini are very different from the dry packaged version served in restaurants.
'Grissini' = breadsticks. Fresh grissini from Torino ('grissini torinesi') are delicate, thin, and artisan-made. The word comes from 'grissino', from Piedmontese dialect. Commercial grissini sold in sealed bags are a completely different product.
I grissini sono fatti a mano?
Are the breadsticks handmade?
'Fatti a mano' = handmade — handmade grissini are stretched by hand and vary in shape
Avete i grissini stirati?
Do you have hand-stretched breadsticks?
'Stirati' = stretched — the authentic handmade Piedmontese style
Avete i tarallini?
Do you have tarallini?
Southern Italian ring-shaped crispy snacks — different from grissini but served similarly
The grissino was allegedly invented in Turin in 1679 for the young Duke Vittorio Amedeo II of Savoy, who had digestive problems and needed easily digestible bread. The thin, dry breadstick became popular across Europe — Napoleon reportedly loved them and had them shipped to Paris.